GeForce GTX260 with New PCB Design

From Tom's Hardware: Expreview reports that the third-generation GTX260 design, codenamed P897/D10U-20, will feature changes that cuts down the manufacturing cost. This means changing the FBVDDQ power solution from 2-phase to single phase, reducing the overall PCD layer count from 10 to 8, and lowering the PCB board height down 1.5cm while keeping the original length. The MOSFET package will see an alteration as well, changing from LFPAK to DPAK. It's also likely that the BIOS ROM will diminish from 1M to 512K, and the DVI connector will receive modifications in order to cut costs even further.

In comparison to the P654 design, the newer P897 GeForce GTX260 is expected to save Nividia around $10 to $15, although the design could be mistaken for the GeForce 9800GTX+ (due to the GT200 and NVIO2 chip). Originally, the P654 layout reduced the number of PCB layers from 14 to 10 in comparison to the previous design, the P651; the design also removed the expensive Volterra chip to reduce cost. All versions use 55nm processing technology.

According to Expreview, the new product will be available in the third week of this month. Currently Chinese manufacturer Colorful is utilizing the P897 layout for the iGame Series' GeForce GTX260 card; the design replaces the TV-out connector with HDMI and also adds a set of overclocking jumpers. Modifications to PCB design not only reduce cost on behalf of the manufacturer, but the discount also trickles down to the consumer.

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